From Paradise to Hell

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CHAPTER ONE- REPERCUSSIONS

 

This story was primarily created because I felt like it. It will be periodical updated chapter by chapter.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

"War. No matter how much we change, war doesn't. You go out there, and pray that you can kill the enemy before the enemy kills you. There are no happy endings in war. Great victories mean great costs. But they don't care. They sit in their fancy offices behind their mahogany desks and tell us to fight their battles; their wars. We are the ones who built this country up from the ground. We are Marines."

 

Chapter One- Repercussions

 

"Wake up, we're headin' out."

"What? Already?"

"Yeah. Command's goin' crazy. You feelin' any better?"

"I guess. Just gimme five minutes."

 

A narrow wedge of light illuminated the dim room as the corporal left, carrying with it the scorching desert air. A basic white fan slowly spun on the ceiling, doing little to cool the small room. Except for the bed, there was no furniture, save a small window on the blank metal walls.

 

Gathering what remained of his strength, Private James Field rose to a sitting position on the end of the bed. As he took in the featureless walls, his mind began to wander back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Field recalled an early March day three years back, although it felt like a lifetime. There was a medium sized building on a crowded urban street, indistinguishable from the apartments around it. Field remembered every last detail; from the two American flags in front down to the colours of the other cars.

 

A younger James Field walked over to the building, trying to look confident but his nerve was obviously failing him. The younger Field walked through the doors.

 

Inside was a rather plain office. There were a total of ten basic black chairs lining the white walls on the left and right. At the end of the row was a magazine rack, full of old issues from months back. A lone desk stood against the back wall, with two plain wooden doors on either side. A young secretary sat behind the desk, who was probably in her early twenties. The secretary was so absorbed by her paperwork she didn't seem to notice Field.

 

Field, mustering his remaining courage, strutted over to the foreboding desk, although stumbling in the process. In his head, he thought over and over, "what the hell am I doing!" Field reached the desk before his brain could process it, and the secretary, without looking up, asked "You here to join up?" startling Field. All he managed to get out was a weak "Yeah."

 

The secretary handed him a form she seemingly conjured out of nowhere and asked him to fill it out. The still shell-shocked Field walked over to a chair and took a seat. The form was just like any other- Name, occupation, etc. As soon as Field put down his name, he felt someone shaking him, as a voice called "Field! Private Field! Wake up, we gotta go!"

 

Field awoke in the present again to the corporal shaking him.

"What the HELL! You said five minutes and here I find ya sleepin'!

"Sorry, I..."

"No time for that! Commander Ostenberg wants to see you. Follow me!"

 

As the corporal opened the door, the room was once again illuminated. The corporal stepped outside and motioned for Field to follow.

 

Suppressing his memories, Field stepped on to the hot desert sand.

 

END CHAPTER ONE

[Herculine]

Looks like a great start!

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CHAPTER TWO- REASSIGNMENT

 

The military compound was abuzz with a low hum of activity, as fully armed soldiers ran back and forth and LTVs sped by.

 

"Jesus it's hot out here," Field thought to himself, then began to laugh inwardly, "guess that fan was helping."

 

"Pick up the pace, we're late enough already," the corporal remarked, more to himself than Field.

 

The American military compound was a large square of desert land, enclosed by a barbed wire, electrical fence. Te north end had the exit, a checkpoint with two manned sniper towers, and furher down the road, anoher checkpoint, also with two sniper towers. The eastern edge contained two, long, narrow buildings with two floors each; barracks. Alongside them were five small trailers for officers, one of which Field woke up in. The western edge held two , reinforced metal buildings; armories. To the north of them was a large, now nearly vacant lot, now only a dozen LTVs were parked. To the south of the armories was a small cluster of helipads. All but one black hawk had been commissioned. Along the southern edge side was a row of garages, once containing tanks. In the middle was a large, technical looking building. The roof supported a large sattelite, and bunches of electrical wiring could be seen on the box shaped structure. This was where Field was headed; the command center.

 

As Field and the corporal approached the building, a loudspeaker blared "Private Field to the command center, Private Field to the command center."

"We're there damnit!" Field thought.

 

The two entered the building, but were stunned by the emptiness. Vacant computers and chairs lined the walls, and were in rows throughout the middle. Navigating the mass of tables and chairs, they approached the door and knocked.

 

"Come in." a gruff voice replied. Field and the corporal complied.

 

Commander Ostenberg was an average height, middle height, about forty years old. He had a moustache, although he was bald. Dark circles underneath his eyes indicated that he had been havin a long day.

 

"Afternoon gentleman."

"Afternoon sir."

"Ya can cut that sir crap. Ah got somein to tell ya. You mind corporal?"

"No sir. Uh, I meant, well,"

"Just go Corporal!"

The jumpy corporal got outside as quickly as he could, although he quietly closed the door behind him.

"Now," Field asked, "Whaddya got?"

"A choice. You'e been requested by a Lieutenant Dovell for a special assignment."

"What's this assignment?"

"Top secret, but I can tell ya where you're goin."

"And..."

"An unnamed island in the Pacific. Tropical too. Our sat intel suggests light contact. Ya can get out of this hellhole. From hell to paradise."

Alright, you've convinced me."

"Excellent. Lieutenant Dovell's waiting by the helipad. He wants ya to gear up in the armory. Suppressed weapons only. Now get a move on!"

 

Field left the office and the corporal re-entered. Field could hear Ostenberg yelling the corporal's head off from outside.

 

A quick walk back in the desert heat and Field had reached the armory. Inside was much cooler. Weapons lined every wall save the exit. Attachments were on larger racks placed along the middle. Like a toy store, only everything can kill you.

 

Field selected arms as quickly as he could, and in the end he had chosen a suppressed Mp5 with a holographic sight. For a side arm, a silenced M9, and a bandolier of hand grenades. As he was strapping it on, he heard an explosion of gunfire, followed shortly after by a scream cut short.

 

This was answered by more gunfire, so Field scrambled over to the door and peered outside. The scene was horrible, a Marine's nightmare.

 

A dozen men were standing near, more or less, the entrance. The two snipers were on the ground, dead. The remaining Marines were firing at these men, taking cover behind whatever they could. Commander Ostenberg was against the open door of the command center, holding a pistol. Field raised his weapon and turned toward the attackers.

 

They would have been normal men under any other circumstances, except they were hiding behind LTVs, sandbags, and even body shields. They were all cradling an AK47. Field took aim. The last thing Field saw before he pulled the trigger was Ostenberg go down bleeding.

 

One unlucky man was hit in the chest, another in the head. After they crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood began to spread. Before they other men could react, Field open-fired again. This time four men went down, with hits around the torso region. The pool grew. The six remaining men adapted to Field's position and dove for better cover. One was hit, while literally diving, by a Marine.

 

Field, with expert aim, lobbed a grenade, and then, the two slowest to react exploded into a vivid cloud of gore. The final three were gunned down while scrambling for new cover.

 

"Check for IDs!" a Marine yelled. All the Marines abandoned their cover spots and began checking the intact bodies. "Got something!" another Marine yelled. The Marine had found a patch- a shield with crossing AK47s and a star in between the barrels above the shields.

 

The first thing Field did was run over to Ostenberg, whom everyone seemed to have forgotten about.

 

Ostenberg was laying against the still open door. He had been hit in the leg, and blood flowed freely from the wound.

 

"Field! Help me up!"

Field lifted the commander to his feet and asked him "What happened here?"

"Hell if I know," Ostenberg replied, "buncha guys just walked in and started shootin."

"How'd they get past security?"

"Well I'm sure ya saw the bodies..."

"Wouldn't the snipers have seen them?"

"Son, who d'ya think I am? C'mon, Dovell's still waitin."

 

Field followed the still wounded Ostenberg across the compound to the helipad. There were five Marines standing there. One, obviously Dovell, stepped forward and asked Ostenberg "That Field?"

"You bet yer ass it is." the commander replied.

"Well get up here Private! We gotta go!"

Field walked onto the raised helipad, and, crossing the giant H, stepped into the black hawk with the rest of his new squad.

 

The noise from the blades roze to an almost deafening pitch as the black hawk rose into the air and the doors closed. Banking right, the helicopter began to head eastbound.

 

END CHAPTER TWO

[Maharg67]

Excellent writing. I like the memories idea. I like the fact that the man is not a super human. I look forward to reading more. :thumbsup: :banana:

[shadowmadnezz]

Nice work man :) u shud continue it